The Pilgrims of Nazaré Project strengthens faith, hospitality, and religious tourism in Pará
The initiative of the State Government structures the pilgrimage route to ensure safety, support for the pilgrims, and international projection of the Círio de Nazaré
The Pilgrims of Nazaré project is already part of the official pilgrimage calendar of the Círio in Pará. The pilgrimage, which departs from various municipalities to Belém from October 6 to 11, combines stories of faith, devotion, hospitality, and is also a cultural and community experience with the potential to consolidate as a tourist product.
To promote religious tourism, the State Department of Tourism (Setur) is working on structuring the route that welcomes tourists and pilgrims on the roads of Pará. The project offers logistical support, safety, food, and health services to the pilgrims and tourists who travel the route.
According to Alessandra Pamplona, director of tourism products at Setur, the definition of a tourist product corresponds to a structured attraction that can interest and satisfy a visitor. "This translates into integrated accommodation, food, transportation, attractions, and activities. This pilgrimage route, for example, can become a tourist product when structured and interpreted for the visitor, with adequate infrastructure, such as signage, support points, accommodation, food, but also with a clear cultural and religious narrative. But this depends on integrated management between municipalities and the community, transforming the pilgrimage into a safe, organized, and marketable tourist experience, without losing its symbolic value," explains the director.
The tourism department's goal is to transform the project into a reference in the religious segment, as already occurs in national routes such as Aparecida (SP), Passos de Anchieta (ES), Caminho de Santa Dulce dos Pobres (BA) and international ones like Fátima (Portugal), Caminhos de Guadalupe (Mexico), Lourdes (France), and the Camino de Santiago (Spain).
For Conceição Silva, a technician at Setur and responsible for coordinating the project, the annual increase in the number of pilgrims challenges the need for more safety and hospitality. "Setur is carefully analyzing the facilities and weaknesses of the route to ensure support for the pilgrim while structuring the future Religious Tourist Route of the Pilgrims of Nazaré. Our goal is to place this route on the shelves of the tourist market, showcasing Pará as an international destination of faith, without ever losing respect for the devotion that moves thousands of people on this journey," she evaluated.
"The Círio and all the processions of the Nazarene season are part of the identity of the people of Pará. So we need to increasingly promote and structure this path, providing more pilgrims with safe access, remembering that this pilgrimage is also a transformative tourist experience that unites faith, nature, and hospitality," stated the head, Eduardo Costa.
Transformative experience of faith and tourism
The resident of Pará, Raimundo Nonato, has lived in Porto Velho (Roraima) for 23 years and has participated in the Círio every year during this time. In 2011, he recounts that he received a call from Our Lady to join the Pilgrims. "I used to come to Belém for leisure, on the profane side, so to speak, going to the beaches, sightseeing. That year, returning from a beach, I saw this pilgrimage and it caught my attention. Then I found myself. In 2012, I started walking from Castanhal with my brother. And this is the 14th time we are participating, and we have added family and friends, around 30 people," said Raimundo.
He has been a devotee of Nazaré since childhood. But it was a promise made when his daughter was born that increased his faith in the patroness of the people of Pará. "My daughter was born with a health problem, but she got better, healthy. Today she is 48 years old because I entrusted her to Our Lady and she was healed. My wife is also very devoted, so it only contributed to all of us participating in this unique moment that is the Círio," the devotee affirms.
Over the years, Raimundo brings his wife, originally from Roraima, to perform the pilgrimage together. He also mentions that in 2017 he brought a couple from Chile to experience the Pilgrims. "Wow, they were amazed to see so much faith, they identified a lot and there wasn't even all the infrastructure we have now. Today there are many more people accompanying, more volunteers in the welcome, more support points, which has made it much easier for everyone. And whenever I can, I will invite everyone to participate, just coming here to feel and understand the dimension of what the Círio de Nazaré is."
Mrs. Rita Nunes and Alba Ferreira, responsible for a support point on BR-316, in the municipality of Santa Izabel do Pará, for 13 years, affirm that over the years the number of tourists has increased in the welcome. They come mainly from Rio de Janeiro, Macapá, Manaus, Maranhão, and Porto Alegre.
"I am sure we have the potential to be a large route like we have in Aparecida. Each year we have more pilgrims passing through here and we are increasingly equipped, in donations, in services. I thank the infrastructure of the State Government, Setur, and Sespa. This year I think it will reach about 10,000 people. Just on Wednesday, 2,100 people passed through here," Alba pointed out.
The support point started as a thank you for a grace achieved by Mrs. Rita, who was the only survivor of a serious car accident. "I was hospitalized at Maradei, very close to the Basilica. I was with a baby daughter and prayed a lot for Our Lady to get me out of there alive and let me raise my daughter, and if one day I had the means, I would do a great act of gratitude every year. I am only grateful for my family, for my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The Círio represents everything. Our Lady goes ahead and everything works out," Mrs. Rita recounts.
Those passing through BR-316 are also attended by Mr. Valter Ferreira's support point. The donations are in gratitude for the life of his wife and daughter Vitória, who was given up by doctors at birth. "My wife had problems during childbirth, but she overcame. My girl was born premature, there was no neonatal ICU in the hospital at the time. We lived a saga to find a suitable place; she was given up by doctors several times. She also had health problems until she was 3 years old. We asked for the intercession of Our Lady and today she is healthy, a charming daughter," Mr. Valter commented.
SUPPORT POINTS
This year, the number of support points increased from 17 to 28 compared to 2024, covering 13 municipalities along the BR-316 Highway (from Santa Maria do Pará), Alça Viária, PA-391, PA-140, PA-151, Vila do Conde (PA-483), and PA-252. Along the route, pilgrims will find, at the official support points, QR Codes for registration to receive the Official Pilgrim Diploma of the Círio de Nazaré at the end of the pilgrimage. The data collected will be used by Setur to evaluate the audience and assist in structuring tourist products in the religious segment.
The Pilgrims of Nazaré Project has the support of volunteers along the route and various institutions, including the Archdiocese of Belém, Archdiocese of Castanhal, State Department of Tourism, State Department of Public Health (Sespa), Federal Highway Police (PRF), State Highway Police, Military Police, Military Fire Brigade, Civil Defense, Sesi (Social Service of Industry), Red Cross, Rota do Pará, City Halls, and Municipal Guards.
The young Ana Paula Machado, 17 years old, started the pilgrimage this year in gratitude for having been accepted into the pedagogy course at two universities, UFPA and UEPA in Castanhal. "The group started with my father; he has been on the pilgrimage for several years, and I helped with the support. But this year was special; I asked Our Lady to help me get into a university, and she helped me get into two. I am just grateful."
Housewife Auricele Leitão has been making the route for 4 years. She is part of a group of pilgrims from a community in the interior of Santa Maria do Pará. "Four years ago, my mother received a diagnosis of cancer in the palate. So I came to seek the help and intercession of Our Lady. She had a first surgery and asked for time to do the second. And during that time, she was healed, thanks to Our Lady," she declares.
TOURISM AS A VECTOR OF THE ECONOMY
Data from Setur estimate that the Círio de Nazaré in 2025 will attract around 100,000 tourists and generate US$ 39 million (R$ 210 million at the current exchange rate), with a growth of 12.5% in tourist flow and 12.7% in revenue compared to 2024. The most impacted sectors are expected to be services, accommodation, food, and transportation, with an increase of approximately 20%. In Brazil, religious tourism generates R$15 billion annually with 17.7 million visitors per year, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
